


Out of the Deep

by Linorien



Series: 007 Fest 2017 [12]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-07 00:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linorien/pseuds/Linorien
Summary: In which Bond is surprised to find Q in Athens and even more surprised by a story he shares.





	Out of the Deep

**Author's Note:**

> To finish off the Classic Bond prompt table, one from Sven: Q and Moneypenny in the field/outpost offices

 [](http://imgur.com/WHHQ4UR)

Bond had reached the inevitable point in his mission where he had run out of ammunition, run out of weapons, and didn't know enough with the intelligence he had. Time to go to the local Q branch outpost. 

Bond strolled through the columns in the Temple of Hephaestus. All the way to the Southeast corner. He slid up a piece of marble on a column and placed his palm on the electronic reader. The rest of the false marble receded into the floor and Bond stepped inside the lift. 

He was lowered into a room in the hill that looked remarkably like an indoor greenhouse. Vines covered the walls and tomato plants hung from the back wall lit by a small beam of light from the surface. In the middle of the greenery was a desk. 

“Hello, Miss Moneypenny,” Bond greeted. “Using your work as a vacation again?”

“If he can’t see a tan, M never knows.”

“Just be careful of Tanner though,” Bond joked. 

Moneypenny grinned. “He arranged the tickets. Well, in you go. I am very busy.”

Bond tipped an invisible hat and entered into the main workshop. 

It was more chaotic than headquarters; all of the outposts were. While the London office did hacking, network maintenance, mission analytics, mission planning, well, the list went on, the branch offices only focused on R&D. 

He marvelled at the olive tree in one corner of the space which, with the click of a button, exploded into flames, every fruit an ignition point. A miniature doric column suddenly revealed razor sharp blades along the length and started spinning. Although it was also smoking and the minion running the test frantically used the fire extinguisher. 

Bond wasn’t sure who he was suppose to be reporting to; he usually just waited for someone to approach him. To his left, a laurel wreath was dipped in water and turned the liquid a deep blue. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but the scientist seemed pleased. 

“Ah Bond, I was wondering when you would show up here,” a familiar voice said.

“Q?” The young man patted a minion on the shoulder and walked over to Bond. “I didn’t think you travelled.”

“I do, just not often.”

“Moneypenny said you were afraid of flying.”

Q’s brow furrowed for a second. “Oh! In Macau. Less flying and more travelling in metal sealed containers.” He motioned for Bond to follow him into the office space he shared with the head of section G. “I took the train.”

“Is that not sealed, too?” Bond asked as he took a seat. 

“I can open the windows. And I know that I can climb through them if needed.”

“So it’s not a fear of falling or heights?”

“No, I actually used to like paragliding. I need to be able to get out.” Q leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of tea. He should tell Bond if he wanted to work with him in the field more. He did want to visit his outposts more often now that headquarters had settled down. No more temporary spaces, no more crazy surveillance projects, and no more agents thinking he was unfit to lead. It was the perfect time. 

“I guess you should know since you are my top choice for bodyguard if I travel. I convinced M that Eve would be a suitable guard for this trip, but if I travel to Hawaii I don’t think she would count.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Bond said. 

“No, I should. You would understand. I told you once that I had a short stint in Naval Intelligence, working with codes and the like.” Bond nodded. He remembered Q in his Naval uniform very well. “One assignment necessitated me on a submarine to test some new equipment. It was assumed to be a straightforward, no risk mission, beyond the fact that we were technically in Chinese waters, but that’s besides the point.

“Everything was fine until something on the sub malfunctioned. Everything went dark. Lights, computers, control panels. There was no way to control the submarine.” Q took a deep breath. “We were sure we would drown. No way to move forward, no way to move up, we weren’t even sure if the air was circulating properly.”

Bond was motionless as he listened to Q tell his story. He had been on many underwater vessels and could understand the fear. Sometimes it really felt like you were the only people alive in the world. There was no one to rely on to help you out. Only the wit of your fellow crewmates. 

Q set down his mug, the slight double tap giving away the tremble of his hands. “We were down there for hours. We had only the lightest of rations and it was not enough. One man, Tumber, nearly went mad. We had to gag him and tie him to a chair. It was awful to see him struggling. Even if you moved far enough away to loose him in the darkness, the groans of the chair gave it away and your mind painted a picture of something worse.” 

He stopped speaking and shut his eyes, pressing the heel of his hands to his face. He took more deep breaths. Then he lowered his hands, adjusted his glasses, and gave his head a quick shake to banish the memories. He looked back at Bond.

“Anyway, the lights came on before anyone else went mad and we returned to our ship just in time for the last dinner shift.”

“Did you ever find out what caused the problem?” Bond asked. Knowing Q as he did, he expected the young man to have investigated thoroughly. 

The Quartermaster chuckled. “I nearabouts tore the craft apart trying to find the source of the fault. What I found instead was a computer chip. It was an experiment to see what sudden isolation and darkness would do to men. Supposedly preparation for an upcoming op.” 

Bond raised his eyebrows. 

“I know. I filed for resignation the next day.”

“And you have never looked back?”

“No, unlike you I was not fit for the Navy. Not really anywhere in the military. They don’t look fondly upon you questioning their orders or suggesting a better way to do things.” He lifted his mug again and took a sip. “Besides, look what I have now.” He indicated the workroom outside the small office. Something exploded. “Way more fun.”

Q stood and walked over to a workbench. “Speaking of, let’s get you some more ammunition, a new gun, and then we can trade new intel. And I want to see at least one bullet back in London,” he groused while they walked. “I'm giving you far too many as is and I know you are resourceful. That also means not to use your custom walther as a boomerang. If you are ever in Australia then, and only then, will I build you a proper one.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to zerozerokyu for the quick beta


End file.
